Firstborn (1984)

Firstborn (1984)

[6] Christopher Collet plays a tenth-grader whose divorced mother brings a drug-dealing boyfriend home in this drama from Michael Apted (Nell, Gorillas in the Mist). The movie is pretty solid for its first two-thirds, ratcheting up the tension and creating a good…
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003)

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003)

[7] Judy Irving chronicles the lives of an underemployed street musician, Mark Bittner, and a flock of wild cherry-headed parrots he observes and sometimes cares for in a hilly neighborhood of San Francisco. Bird lovers will enjoy getting to know some of…
Too Much, Too Soon (1958)

Too Much, Too Soon (1958)

[6] Dorothy Malone and Errol Flynn play father and daughter John and Diana Barrymore, real-life members of Hollywood's famous Barrymore family, both of whom suffered famously from alcoholism. Flynn is very good here in the final noteworthy role of his career. Malone,…
Jaws 2 (1978)

Jaws 2 (1978)

[8] For a studio-enforced, obligatory sequel to a damn-near perfect film, you could do a lot worse than Jaws 2. (Try Jaws 3 or Jaws 4!) The first half of the movie embroils us in the affairs of the Brody family, with…
The Last American Virgin (1982)

The Last American Virgin (1982)

[7] While we were all enjoying the happy horny homogeneity of early '80s teen sex comedies, along came The Last American Virgin, a remake of a 1978 Israeli film Lemon Popsicle. It starts off like any other of its ilk, with three…
The Burning (1981)

The Burning (1981)

[7] This stand-alone slasher flick from Bob and Harvey Weinstein (the first Miramax film production) rivals the best of the Friday the 13th fare. The requisite nubile flesh and gory kill scenes are here, but the teen protagonists are more likable than…
Mad Love (1935)

Mad Love (1935)

[7] Peter Lorre stars as a doctor so obsessed with an actress (Frances Drake), that after a train wreck destroys her husband's hands, Lorre offers to perform a transplant. Problem is, the new hands once belonged to a murderer, and old habits…
Battle Royale (2000)

Battle Royale (2000)

[8] In a not-too-distant future Japan, the government cracks down on adolescent shenanigans by randomly selecting one 9th grade class per year to duke it out on a remote island until only one student is standing. Battle Royale starts off with a…
The Happening (2008)

The Happening (2008)

[3] One of the now-many thuds on M. Night Shyamalan's fall from Hollywood grace was this apocalyptic tale of (drum roll) plants exacting revenge on humankind... because they're mad... or something. It's hard to believe that it never occurred to Night or…
Valkyrie (2008)

Valkyrie (2008)

[6] Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, The Usual Suspects director and screenwriter, reunite for this true story of German officers conspiring from behind Nazi lines to kill Hitler. Tom Cruise doesn't quite disappear into the role of real-life renegade Colonel Claus von…